Is a day on Venus longer than a year?
Yes, if a day means one spin on its axis. Venus takes 243 Earth days to rotate once but only about 225 to orbit the Sun. It also spins backwards, so the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
What's actually true
Venus takes longer to spin once than to go around the Sun. Venus turns extremely slowly: one full spin on its axis takes 243 Earth days, while one trip around the Sun takes only about 225. It also spins in the opposite direction to most planets, so on Venus the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east.
Takeaway: On Venus, one rotation lasts longer than a whole year.
Why people believe it
It sounds impossible because on Earth a day and a spin are the same thing and a year is always much longer. On Venus the two meanings of 'day' come apart: one spin relative to the stars is the 243-day figure, while the time from one sunrise to the next is different because the backward spin and the orbit work against each other. NASA notes that on Venus sunrise to sunset alone would take 117 Earth days.
Source
“243 Earth days long — longer even than a Venus year”
NASA Science: Venus: Facts — NASA Science. Checked on 2026-10-21.